The Price of Victory
by AbyssalCaesar
Summary: "Everyone who died in that war had something they wanted to protect. Family, friends, loved ones, their home… So they fought to protect them. And we won." - Dunban. The first war with the Mechon, narrated to Shulk by its renowned hero, Dunban.
1. Prologue

**I have oft wondered about what the first war with the mechon was like, and the sort of adventures and battles Dunban, Dickson and Mumkhar were involved in, culminating as shown in the game's opening scene at the famous Battle of Sword Valley. **

**To this end I have decided to write a story dedicated to the mostly undocumented events that take place about a year before Xenoblade begins. I am going to interspace the events of the past with Dunban actually relating his experiences to the characters throughout the events of the game. Yay flashbacks!**

**I hope you enjoy and I apologise in advance for the rather dull prologue. It is, mostly, lifted dialogue-wise from a scene with Shulk and Dunban just after the mechon attack that SPOILERS leaves Fiora dead. Hope you stick with it till I get onto some nice war and destruction.**

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Dunban had heard the door to his home open a little while ago now and wondered if whoever had entered had decided to leave after all when he heard the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs of his humble abode. Taking a quick glance he saw that it was Shulk, his face was one of sorrow and hesitation.

Turning back to look out of the window, Dunban continued to gaze out over the idyllic landscape his little sister had loved and ultimately died to protect. It almost seemed unfair that it should continue to exist without her.

"Uh…"

Shulk's pitiful attempt to start a conversation brought Dunban back to the present and reminded him that Shulk was far too young to be attempting to console him in such a way.

"Time was I thought he'd be the one consoling Fiora over my death," he reminisced sadly.

The fact was, Shulk had never been exposed to the horrors of war and death like Dunban had. As a person who had lived through more loss and pain than most, Dunban felt a sort of duty to reach out to the grief stricken teenager.

"Shulk. How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine. But… you…"

"I will shed no tears."

"Huh?"

"A year ago, I felt the same sense of deep loss that I do now."

"The Battle of Sword Valley."

"After that battle, many of my friends did not make it home." Dunban's thoughts turned to Mumkhar and his other close friends who had given their lives during the course of that terrible war.

"While I was being brought here on that stretcher, they were all I thought about. But I decided I would not cry."

He remembered well that decision. It had been among the hardest he'd ever had to stick to.

"Everyone who died in that war had something they wanted to protect. Family, friends, loved ones, their home… So they fought to protect them. And we won."

It always filled Dunban with a sense of pride to remember what the men had fought for and it was this knowledge that made everything they had struggled through worthwhile.

"No matter how painful, no matter how hard, it's nothing to be sad about…"

Dunban turned to look at Shulk whose downcast expression indicated his shock at what Dunban was saying.

"Dunban!" Shulk exclaimed, the first word he had uttered in a while.

"Shulk, Fiora would tell you the same thing."

At the mention of her name Shulk's head shot up and Dunban saw the sadness that clouded his eyes. He wondered if his own eyes gave away the extent of the loss he was feeling.

"She wanted to protect us. Or rather, she wanted to protect you. And you're alive now. So I will not cry."

Shulk seemed to finally accept this and nodded, "Ok" he uttered quietly.

"Remember the gift of life that Fiora gave you, and treasure it."

Dunban turned back to gaze out the window as the orange light of dusk continued to fall over the landscape. Shulk spoke up again and his words did not surprise Dunban in the slightest.

"I… I can't say I understand. But I hope to, some day."

Dunban sympathised greatly with these words as they echoed perfectly his own thoughts.

"That is all I ask." He spoke comfortingly, "Believe me, I am always just trying to understand."

Shulk turned to go but Dunban called him back.

"Shulk, if you intend to set out to pursue that mechon then perhaps it would serve you well to listen to my own journey. You probably don't realise yet just how much such an undertaking will demand of you; my own journey demanded the use of my right arm. I want you to go into this with both eyes open, especially now you are wielding the Monado."

Dunban could not help but notice Shulk's eyes home in on Dunban's virtually paralysed right arm.

"Fiora would never forgive me if I sent you out into the world unprepared. So I shall tell you about what happened one year ago from my point of view."

Shulk looked taken aback, "You mean the Battle of Sword Valley?"

Dunban nodded, "Yes, that final battle, but also the many others that I had to fight to get there."

Shulk's expression was now one of bewilderment. "You never talk to anyone about what happened during the war. Everything I know about your involvement comes from other people who look to you as a hero. I just assumed you wanted to forget it all or were too modest to take the credit for it."

Dunban sighed, "I'll never forget it Shulk, and to do so would be a disservice to those who died in the war. The memories are too vivid to forget anyway. Sometimes it's like I'm living it all over again. No, I just don't like to fan the hero worship that surrounds me. Every person who fought gave his all in that conflict; it seems unfair I should be given more credit than anyone else."

Dunban's expression darkened as he remembered the far less savoury reasons for his silence. "In addition, version I'm about to tell you will have a different take on events compared to how others have recorded them or chosen to remember them. To shatter people's faith in what occurred would be unforgivable, especially as it was only a year ago."

There was silence before Shulk spoke again. "Have you ever spoken about the war with anyone?"

"Yes, with Dickson and a couple of other veterans it always comes up in conversation, as you'd expect it would. I also told Fiora."

"You did? She never once mentioned it."

"Oh you know how insistent she is… was. I decided to tell her everything after I recovered from my injuries. As her brother I owed her that at least. My one condition was she never told anyone else; until I was ready to."

"Are you ready now?"

"Yes, I shall tell you how my journey started. I'll save the rest for when you return."

"You don't know if I'll succeed at all."

"I wouldn't be telling you this at all if I thought you couldn't do it."

A few moments later Dunban and Shulk were seated at the large wooden table that dominated the modest kitchen. Fiora had always complained that it got in the way of her cooking, Dunban mused to himself. Turning his attention back to Shulk, who was gazing at Dunban expectantly, Dunban decided to begin.

"The story does not start with me, but with Dickson. I shall begin three months after the first contact with the mechon had occurred at Valak Mountain which, led to the destruction of Colony 1. We in the Defence Force had just received word that our enemy had made it through the Gaur Plains and was massing on the other side of Tephra Cave. Preparations to defend against an inevitable attack stepped up, as I'm sure you remember given how much sleep you must have lost."

And as Dunban began to speak, the past flickered into life once more.


	2. Chapter 1

In the crisp night, the fortress towered over the Military District and beyond there, the dark and silent town. It was the indefatigable and immovable guardian of Colony 9. The lights from the fortress' many windows stared out into the night, reminiscent of the way volff packs stare out of the bushes on dark nights waiting to ambush and devour their hapless prey, their half-starved grunts of joy mingling with the tearing of flesh.

At the feet of the fortress was an expansive courtyard and the fervent sounds of activity coming from here were a constant sign of hope to the frightened inhabitants of Colony 9. For many, sleep proved elusive and so instead of seeking rest they sought comfort from listening to the relentless preparations of the Defence Force as the fighting men and women of Colony 9 strove all night in anticipation of an attack they knew was coming. An attack they knew, if reports were to be believed, would strike hard and fast and utterly without compassion, sympathy or even a flicker of human emotion. The reason for that was simple enough, the attackers were not even alive nor had they ever been.

In face of such an opponent the mostly lax Defence Force had undergone a complete metamorphosis into a fighting machine of unparalleled efficiency and skill. Each individual soldier was now worth ten of their enemy and was instilled with such fearlessness and ruthlessness it was rumoured the Bionis itself had given them its blessing. These were the sorts of outlandish stories the civilians told themselves in order to keep on going about their daily lives as normal.

The truth was very different.

In actuality the Defence Force was a rabble of shopkeepers, craftsmen and civilians from other occupations. There were career soldiers, of course, but a majority of them had not fought anything more taxing than the mostly docile fauna of Colony 9. Sadly their skill level was often comparable to that of the fauna. Some soldiers did possess true fighting skill but they were the clear minority. The defence force was, quite simply, a mess.

The only thing keeping this mass of people in something vaguely recognisable as a fighting force was their fear. Fear for their own lives, fear for their families and friends, fear of their enemy, fear of their superiors but most of all an all-consuming fear of not giving everything for their home. Even if they were going to lose they at least wanted to tell anyone who'd listen that they'd held nothing back and had fought to the last. The irony of this wish was that if they lost, there wouldn't be anyone left to tell.

It was with this desire that this night, as they had done every night for several months, they gave their all as they fought relentlessly to improve. The defence force went about their training and preparations in a whirling frenzy. It was chaos yet it possessed a strange disjointed order.

Standing at the enormous open doors of the fortress stood a man immediately conspicuous by his inactivity, especially when compared to those buzzing around him. The man, whose appearance was that of a man in his early fifties, was looking out over the courtyard and smoking a cigarette. The grey cloud from which curled out of his mouth, drifted past his moustache and shoulder length blonde hair before resting in a sort of smoky halo around his red bandana. His gaze moved slowly over the Colony 9 defence force. The man let out a long sigh and he shook his head. He knew they could never beat their enemy in this state.

The man was snapped from his pessimistic thoughts by the sight of a boy, sixteen years of age with light blonde hair, walking towards him.

Doing his best to put a smile on his face he turned to face the boy.

"Hello Shulk, what are you doing up at this hour?"

Shulk came and stood next to him, "Hi Dickson, I was in the lab when I heard you leaving. I thought I'd come and see where you were going."

Dickson chuckled dryly, "You nosy kid! A teenager like you should be getting your beauty sleep not creeping around after me."

"Given the noise the Defence Force are making I doubt I'd be able to sleep anyway."

Dickson nodded understandingly and shrugged, "Still I guess I should be thankful you're getting some fresh air. I'm telling you my boy the amount of time you spend in that lab isn't natural."

"I can't stop now Dickson, I just know I'm on the verge of a making a breakthrough with the Monado."

Dickson stiffened at the mention of the Monado. That sword was attracting way too much interest for his liking and the more Shulk learnt about it, the more appealing actually trying to use the damn thing would be to a whole host of people.

Shulk seemed to pick up on Dickson's brooding silence and rather than pressing the issue further decided to change the subject.

"So where are you going then?"

Dickson sighed, "I've been summoned to attend a meeting in the fortress. I'm running late as it is but when you need a smoke you need a smoke."

Taking another drag, Dickson paused before continuing, "Besides I don't want the Defence Force bigwigs to think I'm going to dance to their tune. Let them sweat for a bit, that uppity colonel with the stupid, twiddly moustache especially."

Shulk seemed rather taken aback. "You really don't want to get on the wrong side of Vangarre, Reyn says he makes all the soldiers do a million push ups if they do anything wrong. It's a miracle the soldiers are all still alive!"

Dickson let a wry grin spread across his face, "But I'm not a soldier am I? Now I really ought to be going, try and get some sleep ok? You'll be no good to anyone exhausted."

Shulk reluctantly nodded and started heading back the way he'd came. Dickson called after him as he went, "And I think you'll find Shulk me lad that a million push ups is nothing I can't handle." Shulk laughed and bid Dickson good night.

Alone once more, Dickson let the smile drop from his face in time with the cigarette dropping from his hand. He crushed the still smoking cigarette underfoot, before he turned around and walked into the fortress. He had a meeting to attend and he had a feeling he knew what the main topic of discussion was going to be. It was not a discussion he wanted to have but he could not think of another reason for him being summoned before the military leadership like this. Even without the danger of imminent attack he had known this day of reckoning was going to arrive sooner rather than later.

Fifteen minutes later Dickson was strolling through the labyrinthine fortress following a rather flustered new recruit who kept reaffirming to himself more than anyone that the conference room just "had to be around here somewhere". Dickson sighed with exasperation, there was fashionably late and then there was incompetently late and he was in danger of slipping over into the latter if he carried on like this. Dickson declared he'd be fine from here and marched off in the opposite direction from the new recruit.

Less than three minutes later Dickson was standing outside a clearly labelled room marked "conference room". He despaired at the recruit's incompetence before he readied himself for the proverbial Feris' den that awaited him. He put his hands on the double doors and pushed them open as he strolled, as nonchalantly as he could get away with, into the room.

The first words that were spoken confirmed that his suspicions about the meeting were correct.

"We need to talk about the Monado."

Dickson sighed, "Can I at least sit down first?"


	3. Chapter 2

Once seated at the left end of the horseshoe shaped table, at which about six people were now sitting, Dickson slouched back in his chair and produced another cigarette. He didn't really want another smoke but he figured it would get up the noses of the people who had called him here.

Sure enough it did.

"What in blazes are you playing at? This is a council of war not a-"

Dickson turned to face the speaker, a moustached man sitting next to him, and breathed out, sending a cloud of smoke straight into the man's face. The man promptly burst into a series of spluttering coughs as he doubled over the desk.

"Colonel Vangarre, it is cigarette smoke not brog gas. Must you make such a scene?"

Dickson turned away from the still wheezing Vangarre to face the exasperated new speaker.

"General Evander, it's nice of you to call me over. I guess I should've known your visit to the Weapon Development Lab the other day wasn't just a social call."

"Believe me I'm very sorry Dickson. Both for dragging you out of bed and for the whole purpose of this meeting but it is my duty as the head of the Defence Force to look into every possible option as to how we might defend ourselves."

As much as Dickson disliked this whole situation, he couldn't really sustain any sort of anger towards General Evander whose politeness, kindness and concern for the people of Colony 9 was near legendary. He was a few years older than Dickson with shoulder length grey hair that contrasted with a distinguished face that had not aged badly. Perched on his nose were a pair of spectacles and people often remarked he looked more like a scholar than a soldier.

"I understand your duties general, but we are not done researching the Monado yet."

There was a snort from one of the other officers.

Dickson turned to see the insufferable Colonel Arean as being the source of the noise. Arean was a man of incredible arrogance with a sense of superiority and self-righteousness like no other. Unfortunately, Arean was also an excellent soldier and was the clear favourite to succeed Evander in the position of general once the latter inevitably retired. Dickson only hoped the transfer of power would take place after the current crisis because the thought of following a man like Arean into battle was unbearable.

"Something amusing Arean?" Dickson inquired with a hint of menace in his voice.

The Colonel bristled, "I think you'll find that's Colonel Arean, civilian."

"Oh is that right?" Dickson replied sarcastically, "Well I'm afraid there's nothing civil about me so I won't be bowing to you anytime soon."

"Don't push me. You are mocking the future head of the Defence Force."

At this comment the other Colonel in the room, the permanently irate Vangarre, went a violent shade of crimson before he leapt to his feet. His moustache bristled ferociously and it took all of Dickson's self-restraint not to laugh.

Vangarre drew himself up to his full height, nothing special, and began to talk, well shout, at Arean.

"You may think your some kind of hotshot but that doesn't make you a leader! You can fight sure, but where's the experience that makes a great commander? If you'd been through half the things I have then you'd know what makes a leader! You could do a hundred million push ups and still be a mere rookie next to me!"

"Why forgive me Vangarre. Engaging in P.E. exercises and being beaten up by bunnits does indeed grant you all the experience necessary to lead Colony 9 to ruin."

"What did you say!"

Evander chipped in politely, "Could you both please sit down?"

The two fuming colonels obliged.

Evander sighed, "Now if I could bring this meeting back to its intended subject matter I would like you, Dickson, to tell us why you are so against the use of the Monado in this coming war. It's a weapon unlike any other and if what we've heard is true, our enemies are nigh invincible against conventional weapons. Surely we should at least try it."

"Just cos the Monado is fancy looking and I dug it out of an ice temple doesn't mean it'll possess some sort of magical powers." Dickson knew this was bare faced lie so added, "Besides, our research is only in its early stages."

Arean snorted again in disbelief, "You've had at least a decade working on it. And you've had that pasty, scrawny kid you brought back from where you found the damn thing helping you as well. Are you telling me you've both spent all this time polishing it?"

"I'll remind you, Arean, of the circumstances in which I brought the Monado back from the ruins. Shulk was the only survivor from that expedition. There were no visible marks on the dead bodies but it doesn't take a genius to see it isn't coincidence they dropped dead at the exact same moment they found the Monado. The Monado has dangerous power that we haven't even scratched the surface of. It's not just another weapon for an oafish orluga like you to swing around. It's a total unknown and you want to introduce it into a war?"

Evander considered this before he replied. "Everything you say is true Dickson but this war has been filled with unknowns. For one we know nothing about our enemy or how to beat them. Throwing in an unknown of our own may just give us a chance."

Dickson sighed, there was no way he could win this argument just as he'd expected, "Fine you can use the bloody thing. I guessed things would end up like this. Just thought seeing as I'm Shulk's guardian I had a duty to at least try and put you off."

Evander smiled genially, "Thank you my friend. I wouldn't force you into this if I had any alternatives."

Dickson wasn't done just yet though. He hadn't managed to prevent the Monado being used but he could at least implement control over how it was going to be used. "I have two conditions to fulfil before we use the Monado in battle though."

"Name them."

"Firstly we actually have to field test it on the enemy. Find out if it really does do better than the weapons we already have."

Evander grimaced, "That shouldn't be a problem given the enemy is only past Tephra Cave."

"Also you need to find people who can actually wield it."

"What do you mean?"

"As we've already discussed, the Monado is a weapon like no other and has seen fit to provide measures of its own to stop us using it."

Evander looked quizzical, "Go on."

"Some people cannot use the Monado at all and are wracked by crippling pain, seemingly caused by an electrical discharge, if they even try. This pain can last up to hours. Most people can at least activate it though without harming themselves but then we have a different problem; controlling it."

Evander looked even more quizzical as indicated by his ever rising right eyebrow, "Continue."

"Once it has been activated the person wielding the Monado has at best limited control over it. The Monado seems to wield itself and the unfortunate person holding it is no more than a passenger. The blade swings at will and chooses which direction to go in. The person holding on can't just let go either and the Monado has to run its course before it lets them release it. One poor technician got dragged into the lake the other day before the Monado finally deactivated."

Dickson looked around the table at the confused and unsure faces. "Essentially the Monado is, more often than not, out of our control. Does that sound like a good weapon to you?"

Arean snorted again, "Rubbish! It's a sword; nothing more, nothing less. The problem here is that you've only let weakling, lab nerds test it out."

Dickson shrugged, "Let's just say I'm glad the Monado can't hurt Homs. Cos if it could you would not want to be in the room with it when it goes off on one."

"Oh come on Dickson! Give it to a real man to use and the problem will be fixed."

Dickson ignored Arean and continued, "Then there are the potential consequences of prolonged expos-"

The doors to the conference room burst open and the new recruit, who had failed to show Dickson to the very room he was now seated in, stumbled in.

"You found it alright then?" Dickson chuckled sarcastically.

The recruit didn't hear him and was speaking to Evander in what would have to be described as a total panic.

"General Evander the enemy is on the move! Their vanguard is moving through Tephra Cave far quicker than we expected and our units in the cave reckon their scouts will make it through the cave tonight. First contact will be made tomorrow."

For the first time in all his years of knowing him, Dickson saw Evander's calm demeanour drop. The general thumped the table hard, making everyone jump. Evander got to his feet and thumped the table again.

"Damn! Our last report was that they were still mustering their forces on the Bionis Knee. Did our units have time to activate any traps?"

"The enemy surprised them. Captain Cartez says he lost a lot of men in the initial attack and they had to fall back immediately. They've activated what traps they could but they couldn't block every passage so at least some enemies are bound to make it through. Cartez is going to hole up inside the cave with his surviving troops and activate more traps in case the main body of the enemy force begins advancing."

Evander allowed a ghost of a smile to cross his face. "Cartez was always a madman. His men madder for following him! He'll keep them busy alright. We have to focus on dealing with the enemy that poses the most direct threat to the colony and at the moment that is the enemy scouts."

Evander turned to Dickson with a glint of mischief in his eyes, "Good chance for a field test eh?"

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**I have edited this chapter from when it was first uploaded to address an issue that was pointed out to me by Martin III. Namely Arean jumped to a rather far flung conclusion about the Monado possibly being possessed. While it was originally intended to simply be Arean being a bit of a jerk and doubting Dickson's findings about the Monado, the line grew to bug me after the ambiguity of it was pointed out, and so I have edited that section.**

**I****n the next chapter Dunban will make his first appearance as will a certain someone of considerable infamy and importance. Reviews are always appreciated.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Sorry no battles just yet. I felt a couple more chapters were needed first. Enjoy the debut of Dunban though and I promise there will be fighting soon.**

**On another note, it has finally begun to dawn on me the enormity of what I have set out to do with this story but I shall endeavour to see it through to the end. I am an erratic fellow however, and so updates are unlikely to be regular. or consistent. Regardless, I hope you will be patient with me. I have a couple more chapters I need to proofread but they will hopefully be up in the next couple of days.**

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Katana in hand, Dunban leapt at his foe. The light of the midday sun danced on the gleaming silver blade and contrasted with his dark mane of hair which streaked behind him as he charged. With a swift, clean strike he cleaved the unfortunate target in two. Standing over his slain opponent, Dunban had to admit his skills with the blade had improved considerably in the last few months. He was, by nature, a modest man but he could take some pride in his strength.

"Impressive, Dunban!"

Dunban turned to see Dickson walking towards him across the military district. When he had arrived, Dickson paused to admire Dunban's handiwork.

"That said it is just a training dummy. I guess we can hope our enemies are as compliant", Dickson's expression darkened, "although I'd not bet on it."

Dunban hardly heard him. He was fixated on what Dickson was carrying.

"Dickson, is that the Monado?"

"Your eyes work then? That's reassuring."

"What is it doing out of the lab?"

"I'm just taking it for a walk."

Dunban sighed. While Dickson could be sarcastic at the best of times, the sheer level of sarcasm he was dealing with now suggested Dickson wasn't in a good mood.

"What's going on Dickson?"

Dickson glared at the red sword in his hand with the same ferocity he reserved for his wallet when it inevitably ran out of money during a night in the tavern.

"The Monado is going to be used as a weapon."

Dunban raised an eyebrow, "You've changed your mind then."

"More like had it changed for me!" Dickson bitterly retorted.

"How did they do it?" Dunban exclaimed.

"Some crap about it all being for the 'good of the colony' and 'we have to at least give it a shot.'"

Dickson's gruff voice softened as he said, "I couldn't really say no after all that."

Dunban's expression was a self-satisfied smirk.

"What you gawping at?" Dickson snapped, "I'm not going soft!"

"Mellowing in your old age huh Dickson?" Dunban teased.

Dickson's scowl gradually broke into a grin and the two burst out laughing.

"You should respect your elders you uppity whippersnapper." Dickson chuckled, exaggerating a hunch and staggering around with the Monado held like a walking stick.

When they had finished laughing, Dunban picked up his original line of enquiry, "That still doesn't explain why it's not in the lab."

"I'm going to field test it."

Dunban raised an eyebrow, "You, personally?"

"Try not to look so surprised. Out of all the people who've tested the Monado I just so happen to be the best at wielding it."

Dunban was looking at Dickson with newfound respect. "I can genuinely say I am impressed. Will you give me a demonstration?"

Dickson sighed, "By 'best' I mean I can use it for about a minute before I lose control. Bearing that in mind it's probably best not to activate it here among all these weapons and munitions. Don't want Vangarre yelling at me for damaging his precious mobile artillery."

Dunban understood, like so many he'd spent his entire military career in fear of Vangarre, but he was still disappointed.

When Dickson had brought the Monado back from his expedition all those years ago, the Monado had been the talk of the colony. Everyone was fascinated by the utterly alien artefact he had recovered from that doomed expedition; no one paid much attention to the orphaned boy he'd brought back as well. The mythological story that the Monado had been wielded by the Bionis itself had further served to grab people's attention.

This did not last. With no tangible breakthroughs resulting from researching the Monado, interest in it diminished over time. Eventually most people outside the military leadership and the weapons development team had ceased to give the weapon a second thought.

Dunban however, had not forgotten. This was mainly due to his friendship with Dickson who often kept Dunban up to date with research and weapons development, something he wasn't meant to do, of course, but Dickson could be very talkative after a couple of pints.

Their friendship had been formed following the tragic, early death of Dunban's parents. Dickson had known them well and had taken it upon himself to extend the friendship he'd shared with them to Dunban who, had been thrust into the role of main provider for himself and his young sister, Fiora.

Dickson had been the pillar of support Dunban had needed dearly in those sorrow filled and uncertain years. His greatest help had been in securing Dunban permanent employment as a soldier in the defence force despite Dunban being below the enlisting age of eighteen. This had granted Dunban and Fiora much needed financial security. Dickson's one request in return had been that Dunban let Shulk come round his house to play with Fiora.

"He hasn't got any really good friends besides that Reyn kid." Dickson had lamented one day. "Your sister is a nice girl though; she might help him come out of his shell, and the labs for that matter, a bit."

Dunban agreed to the plan although he did have his concerns over how things would play out.

"Who knows?" Dickson had jokingly reassured him, "Might be the start of a beautiful relationship!"

Dickson had certainly been proved right on that one and the two had become great friends almost immediately although Shulk still seemed to spend more hours in the labs than Dickson and Dunban thought humanly endurable.

Dunban ceased reminiscing as a thought struck him.

"What exactly does field testing the Monado entail?"

"Come along and find out."

"Are you serious?"

"Of course I am! You wanted to see me activate the Monado well here's your chance. Meet me at the bridge leading out of the colony in half an hour."

"Will I need to bring anything?"

Dickson eyed Dunban's wickedly sharp katana. "That might come in handy." He said before turning to walk off, the Monado held in one hand, his gun-blade hybrid slung over his shoulder.

Dickson paused at the exit of the military district. "Oh and bring the big guy and the attractive girl you hang around with."

Dunban sighed, "That'd be Mumkhar and Atory then."

"Yeah they're good fighters aren't they? I need all the help I can get and four people should give us better odds of survival. Don't tell them why I need them though. I don't want to cause hysteria."

Dunban's brow furrowed, "What exactly are we doing Dickson?" he asked anxiously.

Dickson turned round to face him, "We're making first contact."

Twenty minutes after his conversation with Dickson, Dunban was walking through the sunny colony in the company of the two people Dickson had requested him to bring. Not that he minded their company; they were two of his best friends after all.

"I still don't get what this is all about. What is it Dickson wants us for?"

The one that had spoken was tall, bearded and with an upturned nose and shifty eyes that made it hard to describe him as looking anything other than crafty. His forearms were encased in a pair of large gauntlets which ended in a set of wicked looking claws.

"Now Mumkhar you wouldn't want me to ruin the surprise would you?" Dunban teased.

"I hate surprises," Mumkhar muttered.

"Yeah this is all a bit mysterious Dunban" another voice cut in, "It had better be worth it cos Vangarre will blow his lid if he realises we're missing."

The speaker this time was a woman with fiery orange hair which was about shoulder length. A critical eye would call her hair messy but as Dunban well knew she had greater priorities in life than her appearance. That wasn't to say she was bad to look at and it was accepted by all the troops she was very attractive. No one made lewd remarks though, given how deadly she could be with her weapons of choice; a pair of wickedly curved knives.

"All will be revealed, Atory." Dunban replied.

They rounded the street corner and sure enough, there waiting for them at the bridge leading out of Colony 9 was Dickson. Not that Atory or Mumkhar were paying any attention to him however. They were both transfixed by the red sword he was carrying.

"No way!" Atory exclaimed.

"What's that doing out of the lab?" Mumkhar enquired, his eyes bulging.

Dickson grinned at the awestruck reactions. "I'm taking it for a walk, and you're all going to throw sticks for it!"


	5. Chapter 4

**To the cunning foxes out there it will probably have become obvious what I've done with the main characters in this story compared to the party in Xenoblade itself.**

**Xenoblade Chronicles - Price of Victory**

** Shulk = Dunban**

** Fiora = Atory**

** Reyn = Mumkhar**

** Dunban = Dickson**

**This was mostly an intentional parallel and one I am quite pleased with. In the game Dunban is the experienced, learned member of the party just like Dickson is in this story.**

**Anyway, enough of my limited, literary wizardry, back to the story where Dickson will give us a nice lecture on the "enemy".**

* * *

A gust of wind lazily blew through the grassy valleys which surrounded the watery basin where Colony 9 resided. The wind ruffled the leaves on the trees and the grass in an affectionate manner as it went winding through the rolling hills. The gust plucked the seeds off dandelions and, sent them whirling into the air at the fickle mercy of the same wind which had removed them from their plant in the first place. Some of these seeds met a most unusual fate as they disappeared into the twin dark caverns of Mumkhar's unsuspecting nose.

"Atchoo!" The noise shattered the tranquillity of the hills as Mumkhar violently sneezed. His comrades, who had been lying motionless next to him in the grass, leapt up with surprise and shock; their silent vigil disturbed.

"Brog's breath Mumkhar, don't do that!" Dickson snapped as he hurriedly stubbed out the cigarette which, having fallen from his mouth, now presented a fire hazard among the dry grass.

"Yeah Mumkhar you almost gave me a heart attack." Atory grumbled.

"Not exactly like I planned it," Mumkhar sat down in an obvious huff.

Dunban just rolled his eyes and lay back down in the grass.

Once the four companions had returned to their previous positions among the grass, they resumed their watch. They had been here for a couple of hours now and were becoming very familiar with the stone entrance to the cave which was about thirty feet away from their hiding place. The cave in question was Tephra Cave where, any minute now, they expected the first scouts of an invincible army to emerge; an army, intent on bringing death and destruction to Colony 9.

This was the thought running through all their minds. They had never actually seen, let alone fought, the enemy that was so intent on their extermination and, even if they were only going up against a scout force, that did not change the fact that these enemies were supposedly impossible to damage with regular weapons. As time went on, they all found themselves glancing all the more frequently at the Monado, the weapon, it seemed, they were pinning all their hopes on.

It had occurred to Dunban that they did not really have any reason to assume the Monado would answer their prayers. The only reason they thought it might work was because they didn't know it wouldn't. Still they had to at least try.

He looked to where the Monado was resting, inactive on a bed of grass. It truly was a weapon unlike any he'd ever seen.

Dunban moved over to where the sword lay and placed his right hand upon it. He wasn't sure why he did this; it was after all only an inanimate object but perhaps he hoped it might respond to his, and indeed all of Bionis', desperation and determination to survive. He'd never really bought into the farfetched myths that the sword had been wielded by the Bionis in its grand battle with the Mechonis at the dawn of creation, but perhaps, if only a tiny portion of the myth were true, somewhere within the Bionis's long dead form, a spark of sentience still remained and would heed its children's pleading cries for help.

Dunban suddenly felt foolish; he'd prayed to the Bionis before, when his parents had fallen ill and it hadn't answered him then. In truth he thought, like a lot of people, that if the Bionis had ever been a living, moving, fighting divine being, it had long fallen asleep or died and now, only its husk remained as their home.

Dunban suddenly became aware of Dickson looking at him intently. It was then that he became aware of a strange sort of humming coming from the Monado.

"Well I'll be," Dickson pondered, "it's never made a noise like that before."

Dunban withdrew his hand from the Monado. The noise gradually faded away.

"Interesting," Dickson muttered under his breath, "very interesting."

"What was that about?" Dunban asked, concerned at the thought the weapon might be about to malfunction.

Dickson was stroking his chin contemplatively. He appeared not to have heard Dunban.

"Dickson?"

"Huh, what is it Dunban?"

"What caused that noise just now?"

"How should I know? This weapon is way past temperamental." He grinned, "It was probably enjoying you stroking it like a stray cat."

Dunban paused long and hard before he asked Dickson a question which, while now seeming a stupid question not to ask, had only really come to the forefront of his mind in the last couple of hours.

"Just who are the enemy? The military leadership don't know the specifics but can you tell us anything about them."

Dickson took a long drag on his cigarette. "Oh they know alright. They just don't want to cause a collapse in morale. Get the other two over here and I'll tell you all I know. You should probably hear what we'll be going up against."

When they were all quiet, which took a while as Atory thought it would be amusing to blow a dandelion into Mumkhar's face, and listening, Dickson began to talk.

"First things first I guess and that's names. Everything's got a name and our enemy is no exception. They are the Mechon; at least that is how numerous ancient writings refer to the mechanical guardians of Mechonis."

"They're from Mechonis?" Atory looked gobsmacked.

This was an unsurprising reaction given that Mechonis was considered, unlike Bionis which teemed with life, to be little more than a lifeless husk.

There had been expeditions onto the Dark Titan; all launched from Colony 1 in Valak Mountain, but these had discovered the dead titan's sword, the sole bridge between Mechonis and Bionis, to be devoid of life. Furthermore the expeditions had been unable to breach the armour and force field at the Mechonis' wrist to gain entry to the titan itself.

There were clear signs a civilisation had existed on Mechonis at some point though, namely a series of colossal, what were presumed to be, fortresses and other installations dotted along the Mechonis' sword.

More evidence existed in the form of the Mechonis having two left arms, one half submerged in the vast azure expanses of the Endless Sea and another in an altogether more conventional place, attached to the Mechonis. Some dismissed this as an automated repair function whereas others argued it was proof that inhabitants had patched up their home.

"They are indeed from Mechonis." Dickson answered gravely. "Three months ago Colony 1 detected energy readings coming from Sword Valley. Unsurprisingly the focal points for these energy spikes were the 'abandoned' fortresses."

"An activation signal?" Dunban inquired.

Dickson nodded, "Yeah most likely, although what caused the activation is a mystery. New expeditions were launched from Colony 1 to see investigate these energy readings and it won't astound you to know that no one returned. Then several weeks later some Nopon merchants who'd been en route to Colony 1 brought us word that the entire colony had been razed to the ground."

The travelling groups of Nopon merchants and explorers had always been one of the main sources of news on Bionis. The enterprising Nopon had even started a postal service to deal with the demand.

"There were signs of a battle but very few bodies. The Nopon also saw dark metal figures moving among the blizzards and relayed the news back along the Bionis. Everyone was at a loss to explain what had happened to Colony 1 but we all came to tell ourselves it must have been a freak avalanche or a particularly violent swarm of antols."

Dickson's expression turned grim as he went on. "Then we lost contact with Colony 2 up by Eryth Sea and after that Colony 3 on the Bionis' left arm. Colony 4, on the outskirts of Makna Forest, came under attack next but the inhabitants had become so rattled that they were ready to flee to Frontier Village. That's when we really got an idea about what we were under attack from."

"What are they like then, these Mechon?" Mumkhar was sweating and shaking quite a bit. As was well known in the colony, bravery had never been one of his strongpoints, and the story of how he'd been chased up a tree by a juvenile brog continued to haunt him.

"Remorseless, indefatigable, killing machines hell-bent on nothing less than our total extermination." Dickson replied, "Other than that I'm sure they're lovely."

Mumkhar's face drained of colour. Atory interceded on his behalf. "I think what we really want to know," she said, "is how they do battle and how we plan to fight back".

"Well everything I know I either got from ancient texts or Nopon merchants passing on the reports of those who've actually been in contact with the Mechon. We really don't know what's going on with the remaining colonies at the moment though.

Dickson couldn't meet their eyes, "We haven't received word from anywhere for a month now."

Dunban felt a crushing sense of loneliness set in.

"Could we be the only Homs left on Bionis?" he miserably wondered.

As if sensing his thoughts, Dickson changed tack. "Anyway back to the Mechon."

Atory and Mumkhar looked almost grateful. Talk of potential extinction had never been a hot topic for conversation.

They are highly advanced machines and possess weapon capabilities which, while ancient, are more high tech than anything we have to offer"

"Colonel Vangarre will be devastated." Dunban jokingly lamented, remembering the long lectures Vangarre had given on his new mobile artillery being the 'pinnacle of technology' and the 'future of warfare'.

Dickson continued relating everything he had heard about the Mechon. "They come in many different sizes and types; some are as small as bunnits whereas others are as big as orlugas. Oh and did I mention no conventional weaponry can damage them. That armour they're made of can block everything. "

He glanced at the Monado, "Well let's hope not everything eh?"

Dunban looked at his companions. Dickson was trying in vain to smile after his hardly morale boosting talk but it was evidently forced, Atory was toying with her hair like she always did when she was nervous and Mumkhar's face had disappeared behind his gauntlets.

"What are their tactics?" Dunban asked Dickson who oddly enough looked smug at being asked this question.

"Simplistic." Was Dickson's reply, "Reports suggest they mainly just advance as a big block, sometimes in formations or in waves, but they've never been known to devise anything clever like lay an ambush or use a decoy attack."

"Yes!" Mumkhar's face had emerged from behind his hands and he was beaming, "Ha, well we Homs can easily outsmart some stupid tin cans. I knew my brains and cunning would come in handy!"

"Well they don't really need to worry about tactics if they're invincible." Atory pointed out. She said it innocently but Dunban could see the small glint of wry mischief in her eyes.

Mumkhar's deathly pale face disappeared behind his gauntlets again and muttered curses could be heard from behind the clawed barricade he had created for his face.

"The thing you've really got to be aware of with the Mechon," Dickson continued saying, "is that they're silent, no battlefield chatter or verbal communication of any kind; big blow for any chance of negotiations. The only sound a Mechon ever makes is that of its weapons. That and the general clanks and whirs you'd associate with a machine."

Mumkhar suddenly groaned.

"What is it now Mumkhar?" snapped Dickson. "You sit on a caterpile?"

"Can't you hear it?" Mumkhar replied shakily. "Listen."

They all did so. For a moment the only sound they could hear was that of the wind but then they heard it. A continuous, unchanging noise, growing in volume and sounding very much like…

"I'd say those are the general clanks and whirs you'd associate with a machine." Dickson answered absent-mindedly. Then his face fell. "Oh," he said, "crap."

They all stared fearfully into the black maw of Tephra Cave. They couldn't fail to hear the sound now. The four of them slowly moved into crouching positions but remained where they were, transfixed by the clanking and whirring echoing from the cave.

"Please," Atory was mumbling, "please just be a lost armu or something, anything, even one of those infernal goguls."

An array of unmistakably artificial red lights appeared in the darkness of the cave.

"That's no armu," Dickson muttered quietly.

"No really? I'd never have guessed." Mumkhar bitterly retorted.

"What do we do?" Dunban whispered to Dickson, as though the thing in the cave would hear him if he spoke any louder.

Dickson turned to face Dunban. He looked as though he was about to answer when the clanking abruptly stopped.

Dunban and Dickson looked back at the cave. The red lights were slowly panning around as their owner surveyed what waited for it outside of the darkness it currently languished in.

The lights stopped moving.

What followed was a pause that seemed to stretch to infinity and back but then, with two deliberate, purposeful strides, the Mechon stepped out of the cave and into the midday light which took flight from its dark ebony armour.

* * *

**There will be a fight in the next chapter! Woop! Woop! Hopefully that chapter will be up soon. As always reviews are appreciated.**


	6. Chapter 5

The first thing that struck them about the Mechon was that it was huge; twice the height of Mumkhar who was the tallest member of the group. It towered over them and the red lights, which they assumed to be its eyes, glowered down at them.

Its armour was black or possibly a very dark blue in colour and was decorated with a multitude of shining golden cogs, ducts, rings and other intricacies of metal. Whether these served any practical purpose or were purely ornamental was unknown but they gave the machine an aesthetic lustre the Colony's Mobile Artillery lacked.

The Mechon stood on two powerful legs each of which ended in a sharp point. The body of the Mechon was curved and lacked any signs of possessing a head. Instead the top of the Mechon was a curved dome much like a carapace which tapered at the front into a "nose" shaped like a harpoon point. It was just behind the harpoon where the eyes were located; positioned all around the machine's snout to give it as wide a field of vision as possible. Partially concealed under the Mechon's armour was a golden sphere which seemed to be what the rest of the machine had been built around.

The armament of their enemy was unusual in that the Mechon only had one arm which ended with a three pronged clamp that superficially resembled and opened much like a flower bud but snapped shut again with the ferocity of a savage volff.

Dunban and the others watched as the Mechon surveyed the terrified Homs in front of it. For a moment it stood motionless and Dunban dared to hope it didn't deem them worthy enough of its attention and would stomp off. Such foolish hopes were shattered when the Mechon began striding towards them. Its long, powerful strides carried it purposefully towards its prey.

"Keep it busy while I get the Monado ready." Dickson barked as he picked up the sword with both hands. His face was a mask of bitter concentration.

Dunban glanced at Atory and Mumkhar and then, with a ferocious battle cry, they charged the Mechon. Not that Dunban supposed the Mechon could feel fear but Homs certainly could and a good battle shout always helped muster some courage before a fight.

Dunban darted past the arm which clumsily swung at him and landed a clean strike with his katana on the Mechon's left leg. Any organic enemy would likely have been crippled by such an attack, or at least stunned, but to Dunban's horror his blade bounced clean off the metal hide of the Mechon which sung from the impact in an almost mocking way.

Atory attacked next, trying to pierce the mechon's body with a flurry of quick, short stabs while she ran around the ponderous machine which couldn't quite keep up with her. She may as well have been poking it with a pair of twigs though as her knives barely left a mark on the armoured juggernaut. The Mechon anticipating her movement swung its arm out and sent Atory flying back.

"Atory!" Dunban called as he ran over to her.

"I'm fine." She replied, clearly somewhat dazed as she staggered to her feet. Dunban steadied her and she gratefully leant on him as she regained her balance.

"There goes Mumkhar." She pointed, as Mumkhar was knocked flat on his rump by the Mechon.

"Uh-oh he looks angry." Dunban replied, "I hope he won't do anything stupid."

"Die!" roared Mumkhar as he charged the Mechon head on.

To Dunban and Atory's great surprise Mumkhar's attack proved successful and the Mechon, perhaps not expecting such a reckless attack was knocked clean off its feet.

Dunban and Atory ran over to join Mumkhar who was now straddling the Mechon's arm and wrestling with the writhing appendage.

Dunban sliced at the fallen Mechon with his katana, as did Atory with her knives, and to his great relief, it stopped struggling and fell still.

"Is it dead?" Mumkhar asked, sitting on the inanimate arm.

"No." Dickson replied, walking over to them with the Monado grasped in his clenched, sweaty hands, "You can stun a Mechon with enough attacks but it only disables it temporarily. It's easiest to stun them when they're not on their feet as well. If they sustain enough attacks they'll even self-destruct, presumably to avoid capture and being researched."

"So they can be killed then?" Mumkhar asked optimistically.

"No. They take themselves out which very much suggests Mechon aren't exactly hard to replace. It's probably more time efficient to simply make a replacement Mechon than to waste time salvaging a disabled one and reactivating it."

Mumkhar groaned again and muttered "Should have known I wouldn't like the answer. I never like the answer to these sorts of questions."

"Well wait and see," Dickson replied raising the Monado, "This sword might just be the answer you're so eager for."

He raised the Monado above his head and Dunban watched in awe as the Monado activated. The two red halves of the sword slid apart and from the transparent disc at the sword's centre there was a flash of light. A blade of blue light emerged from the sword and glowed with the promise of raw power. An electrical discharge crackled all along the blade and the Monado fiercely twitched and jolted in Dickson's' trembling hands. It was clear to Dunban that Dickson was using all of his strength just to hold the weapon still.

Dunban was distracted from the mesmerising by the fallen Mechon suddenly moving slightly. It was already beginning to recover.

"Dickson look out!" he yelled but it was too late.

The Mechon's arm jerked violently and threw Mumkhar off as it lashed out towards Dickson. Dickson swore as the Mechon's arm grabbed him around the chest and clamped down like a vice. The Monado fell from his hands and Dickson began desperately trying to pry himself free from the machine's grip.

Mumkhar and Atory immediately renewed their assault on the Mechon but failed to so much as even distract it from its current task, crushing the life out of Dickson.

Dunban took in the dire situation they found themselves in. Their attacks were useless and if they didn't do something Dickson was sure to die in the machine's steel grip; his eyes were bulging and his struggles were becoming increasingly frantic. Something then caught Dunban's eye in the grass, something red; the Monado.

Unsure of exactly what was going through his mind, Dunban found himself running towards the only hope Dickson, and perhaps all life on Bionis, had. His body seemed to be functioning on its own as Dunban hurled his katana aside and plucked the Monado from its grassy bed.

A distant voice was whispering words of encouragement; "lift the blade", "unleash its power", "strike down your enemies", "swing it to your heart's content". He didn't recognise the voice and even if he had, Dunban virtually ignored it; he already knew what he had to do. He'd known ever since he'd placed his hand on the Monado and it had hummed at his touch.

Blue light shot from the blade, bolts of electricity danced along the Monado and across his body. Dunban felt such an intense sense of control and power it was frankly intoxicating. The feeble tin can before him would surely not be able to resist such a weapon. He was right.

The Monado slid effortlessly through the Mechon's previously impenetrable armour. Dunban felt nothing in the way of resistance and it took him a few moments to realise the end of the Monado was now protruding out the other side of the Mechon. Dickson dropped to the ground with a thud, his captor's grip dissolved by the blade that had mortally wounded it. Dunban pulled the Monado out of massive gash it had made in the Mechon and watched with an intense sense of satisfaction as the Mechon fell to the ground and exploded in a blue flash.

Dunban let the Monado drop from his hands. It was over. His prayer had been answered.

"Dunban?" Dickson, who was being supported by Mumkhar and Atory, tentatively asked.

Dunban turned to grin at Dickson. "I'd say that counts as a successful field test."

The other three managed to nervously grin back for a few moments before their smiles fell.

"Best be sure it wasn't a fluke eh?" Dickson managed to wryly quip looking at something behind Dunban.

Three more Mechon had marched out of Tephra Cave.

Dunban leapt to meet them, Monado in hand.


End file.
